Random Thoughts
by pansy1980
Summary: Random Thoughts with some twists. Instead of B’Ellanna on the alien planet it is Chakotay. * If you haven’t seen Random Thoughts you might want to watch it to refresh your memory.* Chapter 4 is new! Please leave Feedback!
1. Chapter 1

Random Thoughts-

Random Thoughts with some twists. Instead of B'Ellanna on the alien planet it is Chakotay. * If you haven't seen Random Thoughts you might want to watch it to refresh your memory.*

Are inner thoughts the most intimate random thoughts?

I was watching random thoughts the other night at midnight and something jumped into my mind that I decided to play with. I hope you enjoy what I have so far-

The crew had been in the marketplace on the Maree home world. The Maree had been interested in trading with the members of the crew. Their civilization was one with very little crime and many happy and productive members of their society.

Kathryn had been interested in trading the local telepaths for a resonator coil to help with the engineering on Voyager. B'Elanna had decided to forgo the mission on the planet and instead try to work on some Manuel problems in engineering that she finally had time to fix.

Kathryn didn't want to go alone so she invited Chakotay to come along with her.

Chakotay had been less enthusiastic. He had been in a particularly foul mood lately. He had idea why, but for some reason he just couldn't shake his new-founded mood. He was severely irritated and hot-tempered, and able to scare any crewmen into rank just by lowering his eyes. Chakotay gained some comfort in knowing that he could make members of the crew jump, even thou he wasn't the captain.

The two of them had been trading with one of the locals for a resonator coil. Everything had been going fine, and Kathryn had finally agreed upon a set price for the instrument. Chakotay sighed as he crossed his arms and looked around the city. It was a nice and peaceful place. Almost to perfect he thought.

Suddenly out of no where of the locals ran into Chakotay. The local had been carrying a crate of water plums which he had dropped on Chakotay's foot. Some of the fruit came spraying out as it hit the ground. Some of the fruit even managed to hit him close to his eye.

The local apologized for his clumsiness. The man that they had been trading with even asked if he was ok. Chakotay tired to shake off this uncomfortable feeling that he had. But hearing Kathryn speak just made him a little uneasy.

Kathryn asked him again. "Are you ok Chakotay?"

Chakotay sighed. "I'm fine; I just wish that people would look where they are going."

Kathryn turned back to the local. He looked at Chakotay one more time. And then back at Kathryn before he spoke. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you both."

Kathryn smiled at Chakotay. "I will finish up here Chakotay, why don't you go and get Neelix?"

Chakotay found Neelix flirting a little with one of the female vendors. He tried not to give it much thought. He was slightly irritated by the fact that even Neelix could get a girl and he couldn't. He was about to head back to the ship when he heard a cry for help on the other side of the marketplace. He ran over with Neelix following him to investigate.

Kathryn heard the commotion and followed near the back of the crowd.

One of the locals was breaking vases and beating another one of the locals. He was screaming and telling the other man that he should watch where he was going.

Kathryn grabbed the man as he took another swing. "Why were you beating that man?"

The local looked at her confused. "I don't know." Kathryn continued to look at the man in shock.

Neelix was trying to comfort the women who he had been speaking with. She kept repeating that she had never seen so much blood before and that she was going to have nightmares for weeks. Neelix took her hand and gave her a hug trying to give the women a little comfort.

Chakotay and Kathryn were speaking with the security officer of the Maree. Kathryn was explaining to the agent that the man had been confused and that he had no idea why he had been beating the other man in the marketplace. Chakotay took a step forward. "What I don't understand is why no one tried to help him."

The agent sighed. "People were shocked. Violence is almost unheard of here. But when it does occur we like to investigate thoroughly."

Kathryn agreed. "Can we help?"

"Yes actually you can. I would like you and Mr. Neelix and Chakotay to come answer some questions."

"You have our full cooperation."

"Please follow me." Kathryn went first following the agent. Typical thought Chakotay. Kathryn always has to go first. I hope this will be over soon he thought.

END PART 1


	2. Your memories are always safe

Random Thoughts

Chapter 2

Your memories are always safe.

Kathryn was first to go into the questioning room alone. Chakotay watched as the security agent for the Maree followed her through the large metal doors. As the doors closed he watched a shivering Neelix try to catch his breath.

"It's rather cold in here don't you think commander?"

Chakotay didn't answer him. Instead his eyes were locked on the door which Kathryn had gone through seconds before.

Inside the room Kathryn was amazed at the Maree technology. The Maree agent was right behind her watching her movements closely.

"I will be monitoring your thoughts Captain. This device will help me log your brain activity so that I can review your statement later."

Kathryn walked around the room hesitantly for a moment. "Let me get this straight not only are you going to read my mind your going to record my thoughts?"

"Yes that is correct captain. Please have a seat."

Kathryn sat in a strange chair and the Maree agent put her head back.

Kathryn gasped at how cold the chair was against her back. "I guess it would be pretty tough to keep a secret from you."

The agent didn't answer her; instead she went back to her desk and punched in a few keys on her personal padd. And then the questioning began.

"Captain how long had you been in the marketplace when the attacked occurred?"

"An hour maybe a little longer."

"And exactly where were you standing captain?"

"I was directly across the square."

The agent shifted in her chair a bit and continued. "Captain had you ever seen the two men involved in the altercation before?"

"I had never seen the victim but the attacker, I think was the same man who bumped into Chakotay."

The agent leaned into her desk. "Bumped into, are you certain?"

"Yes, they collided accidently. The attacker dropped some of the water plums he was carrying on Chakotay."

The Maree agent got up and walked over to Kathryn. "When exactly did this happen?"

Kathryn closed her eyes. "A few minutes before the attack occurred."

The agent crossed her arms in front of her. "Do you recall what you were thinking at the time of the collision?"

Kathryn's eyes reopened. "I didn't think about it much. No one was hurt and I was trying to sort out the coins. I'm not used to handling currency."

The agent nodded. "Thank your for your time Captain. If you could send in the commander next that will be great."

Kathryn nodded and headed toward the door. When it opened she noticed Neelix huddling in one of the chairs and Chakotay passing through the hall.

"Chakotay, she would like to see you next."

Chakotay frowned at Kathryn and walked into the room. The room was brightly lit and began to hurt his eyes. It was also colder than the hallway which bothered him a bit.

The agent took him over to the chair and asked him to sit.

Chakotay looked over at the agent. "Don't you people believe in heat? It's freezing in here!"

The agent smiled, but didn't answer his question.

"What exactly brought you to the marketplace in the first place commander?"

Chakotay shivered a bit and began to answer her question. "The captain and I had an appointment with Mr. Quill."

"For what purpose?"

Chakotay shivered again and began rubbing his hands together. "We met him the day before he said that he could get a spare resonator coil for us."

"Your captain said that a man bumped into you when exactly did that happen?"

Chakotay sighed. "Just as we had finally settled on the price for the coil."

"I see. Do you recall commander what you were thinking at the time when the man bumped into you?"

"I suppose I was a little annoyed."

"Can you be a bit more specific commander?"

The commander shifted in his chair a bit. "All right I guess I was thinking that my foot hurt. I mean the idiot dropped a crate of those damn water plums directly on it."

"Did you call him an idiot commander?"

"Of course not."

"But you thought it?"

"I guess so."

"Did you think about retaliating with the crate?"

Chakotay rubbed his hands together and blew on them trying to keep them warm. "It was an accident; I know he didn't do it on purpose."

"But you said that that idiot hurt you. Didn't it occur to you to maybe give him some payback for what he had done to you?"

"I would never do that."

"But you thought about it didn't you commander? Isn't it true that you thought about hurting that man commander?"

"I don't like where you are going with this. The man should have been watching where he was going but I realized that he didn't do it on purpose, so I shook it off and left. So what does it matter what I was thinking? That is hardly your business anyway!"

The agent stood up. "Commander you are under arrest."

Chakotay stood up. He was taller than she was. "On what charge?"

The agent looked up at him and spoke. "Aggravated violent thought. Resulting in violence and bodily harm."

The agent went back to her desk and hit a few keys on her padd. A few minutes later Kathryn appeared through the doors.

When the agent explained to Kathryn the situation. Even Kathryn had a hard time with it.

"Are you saying it's criminal to think about violence?"

"Yes that is correct captain."

Chakotay spun around and faced the agent. "That's ridiculous."

The agent spoke to Chakotay in a calm demeaning manner. "I assure you it is quite necessary. We were once a society plagued with violence. When we eliminated hostile thoughts, crime began to drop. Immediately there was a change in people's behavior. For the past three generations it has almost disappeared." And then she smiled at Chakotay.

Chakotay was still in shock. "So let me get this straight. You believe that, it is ok to tell people what they can and cannot think?"

"It is an irrefutable fact commander that violent thoughts from others, can lead to violent acts against others."

The captain came over and put her hand on Chakotay's shoulder. "Even if the commander had a violent thought it was the other man who attacked the man in the marketplace."

"Which he only did captain, because he telepathically received that thought from the commander. His mind was contaminated by the image and it resulted in a loss of control. The man in the marketplace may have committed the physical act but it was instigated by the commander.

The commander was in shock. His voice began to rise at the agent. He was cold and this woman was completely out of her mind. He tried to keep his cool but this situation was beginning to become stupid. "Where we come from, people are responsible for their own actions."

The Maree agent smiled. "And here Commander, people are responsible for their own thoughts. I am sure that you can understand why that is important in a race of telepaths."

What Kathryn said next shocked Chakotay to the core. "Yes I can. I accept the fact that your people can be influenced by thoughts of others. But there were dozens of people in the marketplace. How can you be certain that that thought came from Chakotay?"

"Please try to understand Captain the Maree no longer have violent thoughts. It is unlikely that any of them would have triggered and action that resulted in the marketplace. Besides the evidence against the commander is clear. He thought about a hostile act."

Kathryn approached the Maree agent. "I would like to review that information for myself."

"Certainly." She gave the padd to the captain. But continued to speak. "But I am afraid that you will be disappointed captain."

The captain gave the Maree a stare. "What happens to my commander now?"

"I'm glad you asked captain. We have an enlightened strategy. Unlike some cultures we don't lock people away to punish them. You will be released once you have undergone the purge."

Chakotay's blood was boiling. "The what?"

"It is a medical procedure. The procedure removes the offending images from your mind. These images can be constrained as anything that we see as violent."

Kathryn had to hold Chakotay back. "With all due respect. Memory extraction is a dangerous procedure."

The mare agent was smiling now. "There is a risk of neurological damage but it is necessary for us to treat the other mans mind."

The Maree hit the door opener as Kathryn continued to speak. "Will you at least delay the procedure until we have had a chance to look over the evidence?"

"It will take us about a day to reconfigure what we need to for the procedure. That is all the time that I can give you"

Kathryn took Chakotay's cold arm. "That is all the time that I will need."

And with that final word Chakotay was taken into Maree custody.

END PART 2


	3. Mounted in Evidence

Random Thoughts

Part 3 (Mounted in Evidence)

Captain Kathryn Janeway returned to her ship. Several of the crew including B'Elanna ambushed her in the transporter room. Apparently some of the crew had heard that a few crew members had been taken into custody, including the captain and first officer.

Kathryn reassured the members of her crew that everything was going to be ok. They all bought it, except for one. B'Ellanna.

B'Ellanna had been furious when she heard the news. Her anger and concern mounted as she demanded answers from the captain. Kathryn was in no mood for a fight. So she explained the situation to B'Elanna as best as she could. B'Ellanna however wasn't buying it.

"Captain we have to get Chakotay out of there."

"You know the rules B'Elanna. We can't pick and choose which laws we are going to respect and which we won't."

B'Elanna followed the captain out of the transporter room and into the corridor. "No one can be expected to control their thoughts!"

"Tell that to the Maree B'Elanna."

"Are you just going to let them put Chakotay through this process?"

"B'Ellanna let me assure you I am going to do everything I can to try to stop it. Tuvok and I are going to over the witness statements. Maybe we can poke a few holes in the chief examiners case."

"And if you can't?"

Kathryn stopped and turned to B'Ellanna and sighed. "Then let's hope the doctor can find a way to reverse the affects of the purge."

In reality Kathryn had her own demons to face. Loosing a member of the crew was bad enough on any level. But for Kathryn no matter how impersonal she tried to make the situation, she knew the truth. If she was left without someone to confide in for the rest of the trip, she might just go crazy. Chakotay was her confidant, someone she trusted deeply. And for the rest of the crew he was also the same.

In her ready room Kathryn and Tuvok worked steadily trying to solve the legal puzzle that the Maree had given them. Kathryn's mind was like a ticking clock constantly reminding her of what was at stake if they were to fail.

Tuvok sensed her trepidation and spoke. "I take it you don't accept the chief examiners conclusion."

"I'm not dismissing it Tuvok but I am not going to accept it blindly either." Kathryn took a sip of her coffee and continued to wander her eyes through the padds in front of her.

"Captain, if I may speak freely."

"Go ahead Tuvok."

"This would not be the first time that Chakotay's anger had resulted in this kind of situation."

Kathryn sighed. "No argument there. But I have a hard time buying that one fleeting thought could result in one vicious attack."

"From what I have learned so far captain, crime here is a result of exposure to violent thought. Much as it was on Vulcan before my people learned to control their emotions. In my opinion the Maree should be applauded for their efforts to enforce such standards."

"I'm sure that their intentions are admirable Tuvok, but I'm not about to let them scramble the brain of my first officer without a fight."

"I understand your point captain. But we must prepare ourselves for the probability that he could be blamed for the crime."

"Maybe so but look at this Tuvok." She gave him the padd that she had been looking at intently. "I don't mean to accuse the Maree of anything but don't you find this information the least bit curious?"

Tuvok remained silent. The new evidence that Kathryn had found could possibly give the commander a chance to be saved. They both decided to contact the Maree with their find.

The Maree agent was transported to Voyager within the hour. Tuvok decided to speak with her privately first. He thought maybe he could appeal to her less emotional side. He knew that the captain was struggling with her emotions regarding the issue with Chaktoay.

The Maree agent was surprised to be contacted by the crew but when she was confronted with the possibility of new evidence she could hardly believe her ears."

"What new evidence would that be Tuvok?"

"It concerns the attacker, Mr. Frane according to your own security records he was arrested on 4 previous occasions for harboring violent thoughts. You classified him as a habitual offender of hostile images."

"That is true Tuvok. But those thoughts were purged each time. He spent years in therapy. The records also state that he was cured."

"Still it is possible, that Mr Frane had a relapse. That he alone is responsible for his actions in the marketplace."

The agent shrugged her shoulders, and shook her head. "That is possible but highly unlikely. Our scans of Mr. Frane show that Chakotay's thought was prevalent in his brain at the time of the attack."

Tuvok walked over to her. "And you are certain that no other violent thoughts were present?"

The agent began to get upset. "I am beginning to feel that I am the one that is under investigation!"

Tuvok remained calm. "I am simply investigating all sides of this story. As a fellow security officer you should understand that."

"I do. And I am willing to share my findings with you. But if you are trying to prove that your crewmate is innocent you are too late. The case is closed. Do you think that this is easy for me? I don't want to harm the commander but I don't have a choice. That thought has to be contained, otherwise we risk other thought crimes and other violence throughout the city. You told me that your people spent centuries learning to control their violent impulses. I know we haven't achieved your level of discipline, but we are trying."

"I am not judging your culture. In fact I admire it. However I cannot abandon my responsibility for the commander. I must continue my own investigation."

The agent face and voice changed. "Go right ahead, but I intend to go ahead with the purge.

End part 3


	4. Uncomfortable Thoughts

Random Thoughts

Part 4 (Uncomfortable Thoughts)

Seven and Neelix were on the Maree home world packing up their supplies. The Maree had been told to stay away from them so they did just that. Seven had been quick to judge Chakotay and the Maree for their different styles of living compared to the Borg. Deep inside her Seven was still uncomfortable with humans, and their many obsessions.

Neelix on the other had thought that it was creepy. Someone reading his thoughts made him very uncomfortable. It was something that he rather disliked about telepaths. He remembed once when he was trading with a telepath he got in quite a bit of trouble when he gave one of his daughters a glance while leaving. The telepath had read his thoughts and he was lucky to leave the planet alive.

Neelix had been deep in thought when he heard a scream across the courtyard. Seven and he bounded over. Neelix was in shock by what he saw. Lying in a pool of blood was the women he had been speaking with a few days ago. Standing over her with a bloody knife was an old woman. Neelix ran to the women on the ground but he knew after looking at the wound that she was dead.

Neelix was immediately beamed back to Voyager where Tuvok began to interrogate him about the events that had unfolded on the planet. Neelix was still in shock as he repeated over and over that he couldn't believe that she was dead.

"I know this is difficult for you Mr Neelix . But try to recount everything for me that happened."

"Seven and I were packing to return to the ship, we heard a scream, and I went running. The old woman was just standing over Tallies body with a bloody knife in her hand. I never even got a chance to say goodbye to Tallie. Commander she was a wonderful young women whoever is responsible for her death, find them and see that they are brought to justice."

"I will do my best Mr. Neelix. If you excuse me I have to make a call to the Maree about this subject." Tuvok started down the hall when Neelix spoke.

"Tuvok, I can't even imagine what would happen if commander Chakotay didn't come back as Commander Chakotay. The crew would be devastated by the loss." Tuvok didn't turn around he simply maintained his pace toward the conference room.

Tuvok had been right about the Maree wanting to speak with him about the altercation in the marketplace. The agent appeared a few minutes later in the conference room. She was visibly confused by the hostile act that had occurred only a few hours ago.

"Thank you for seeing me Mr. Tuvok."

"I heard what happened. Do you have any idea what caused this latest attack?"

"I just finished interviewing the old women. She attacked the victim in response to the same violent thought that triggered the first attack."

"Commander Chakotay's thought?"

The Maree agent shook her head up and down.

"The question is how this is possible with Frane and the commander in custody? How could the thought travel without the assistance of either of the first individuals involved?"

"I don't know that's why I am here. I need your help. I don't know why that thought is still contaminating people but I have got to put a stop to it. I have never dealt with a murder before. But you have had experience with murder investigations right?

"That is correct."

"I thought that I would trace where the old women had been the last few days. Retrace her steps, so I could tell where she has been the last few days."

"In the mean time I would like to speak with the commander so that I could a fresh prospective on the first set of circumstances that occurred."

"I will arrange it immediately."

Chaktoay had been confined since the day of the occurrence. Frankly he was cold, angry and irritated by all the developments that had occurred since they encountered this planet. He had done nothing wrong. He hadn't beaten the man in the marketplace, why was he being treated like a criminal. He spent his time pacing through his quarters reliving each moment as it played back in his head. Apparently this was considered necessary by the Maree to bring the thoughts to the surface. He couldn't think of anything else just what led up to the "THOUGHT" and it was driving him crazy.

The door to his quarters opened.

"Tuvok I am so glad to see you. Please tell me that you have come to get me out of this place!"

"On the contrary commander I am still conducting my investigation of the situation."

Chakotay laughed on the inside. Damn Vulcan's and their investigations, Never trust a Vulcan I learned that the hard way when I hired him to help the Maqui and where did that leave me. Stranded in the Delta Quadrant with a female for a captain!"

"Please sit down Commander. I am going to perform a mind meld with you to try to bring your thoughts to the surface."

"Tuvok I am not sure that I like a mind meld any more than that purge that the Maree are planning on giving me."

"It will be a limited meld. I will focus on the thoughts only pert ant to the investigation. It poses no danger are you ready?"

Chakotay shook his head. Tuvok placed his hands on Chakotay's face.

"Your mind to my mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts. Recall your encounter with Mr. Frane. He bumped into you and dropped the crate. What happened next?"

"Some of the water plums popped when they hit the ground and some of them hit me in the face. I guess that is when I had the thought about hitting him. Then Mr. Quill came over and asked if I was all right. "

"Commander what were you thinking at that very moment. I am sensing something more something that is hidden that you are not telling me. See if you can recall it, it may be important."

"I remember that he had his hand on my arm."

"Commander you said that Mr Quill had been reading your thoughts earlier. Do you know if he was still reading your thoughts?"

"I don't know Tuvok."

"You said that you had some negative thoughts about him."

Chakotay's face crunched up a bit. "I didn't like the man the moment that I met him. There was something about him that I didn't like. I couldn't put my finger on it. The captain started the trade negotiations but I still had this lingering doubt about the man."

"Continue Commander."

"The man wanted something. Something terrible. Something that didn't belong to him. He wanted Kathryn." Chakotay growled and flung Tuvok's hands out of the way. "What the hell was that! Why didn't I remember that before?"

"You recalled an unconscious thought you had at the time commander. Or it could have been intuition. Perhaps I should ask Mr. Quill about this."

Chakotay stood up. "You did that Tuvok. And why you are at it why don't you ask him what he wanted with the captain!"

Tuvok stood to leave. "Thank you for your cooperation Commander. I know that this has not been easy on you."

"You're welcome Tuvok. I am glad to help. But could you please ask one of the guards for a blanket? This place is freezing!"

Tuvok raised his eyebrow to him. "I will do my best."

END PART 4


End file.
